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Project Management

Why getting qualified now is a better time than ever for your project management career

Looking at job data, we reveal why now is the exact time you need to qualify in project management in New Zealand and Australia

6 min read

If you’re reading this you might already be working within project management and looking to take the next step, or perhaps you’re looking to get started. Well, I’ve broken down the current projection and demand for roles within project management across Australia and New Zealand to help support your decision.  

At this point you should be well acquainted with what a project manager does. I’m here to give you the facts and figures around this career choice to show you now is a better time than ever to get qualified and ready for your next job by April.  

New Zealand’s high demand for project managers 

Project management is an excellent career choice for those who have an interest in planning and organising large projects and motivating and leading a team. A crucial role within any organisation with great career growth across Australia and New Zealand.   

Additional information provided by

Adam is a Senior Career Consultant at Learning People, specialising in helping people move into IT, Project Management, Cyber Security, Software Development, and Cloud Computing roles through personalised 1:1 consultation. He understands well which skills and certifications employers value most in today’s fast-evolving tech landscape.

Adam AshwellSenior Career Consultant
Adam Ashwell

Most transferrable skills for Project Management

Communication, leadership, emotional intelligence, adaptability and resilience, problem-solving and time management are soft skills you might already possess which are incredibly valuable in project management roles. 

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With 3,615 jobs currently live on Seek.com, I wanted to take a look at why this is a fantastic career to get into with steady demand in some fascinating sectors. 19% of current live jobs are within Construction, followed by Engineering (15%), Manufacturing, Transport & Logistics (7%), and Government & Defence (5%). 

These roles are looking at salaries of around $120,000NZD jumping up to as high as $165,000NZD in the Wellington Region of New Zealand.  

Average annual salary for Project Managersin New Zealand according to Seek

More specific areas of project management, like within Information Technology offer an average salary of over $141,400NZD, followed by Banking & Financial services offering a generous $137,900NZD, and $124,000NZD for those working in Consulting & Strategy. 

There is absolutely no denying that these roles will continue to be crucial to New Zealand’s businesses, with human critical thinking being at the forefront of these roles.  

Australia’s Project Management Boom 

There’s no denying that a career in project management is a smart choice for Australians. For those at the beginning of your journey, you might not think this is the right choice for you, but let me assure you, your skills and hard work will pay off when it comes to roles.  

Junior positions, like Project Administration roles, come with an average salary of $85,000AUD with the highest salaries of over $135,000AUD found in Goldfields–Esperance region of Western Australia. These positions have healthy demand with 9,477 opportunities currently live on Seek.com.  

Did you know Project Managers in Australia have great job satisfaction?

Seek shows that job satisfaction, salary, work-life balance and career progression are rated the highest when surveying project managers.  

Care – Left Aligned

There are currently 14,423 jobs live in Australia right now for the title ‘Project Manager’ with Construction having by far the highest demand (29%), followed by Administration & Office Support (4%) and Consulting & Strategy (3%).  

Average annual salary for Project Managersin Australia according to Seek.com

A Project Manager’s typical salary is around $150,000AUD with it hitting in excess of $255,000AUD in South Australia's Outback region. There is a 9.3% projection in job growth over the next five years for these roles, and with an infrastructure boom happening across Australia, it’s a better time than ever to get qualified in project management.  

If you were looking to get into a specific type of role, like an IT Project Manager, you would be looking at an average salary of $130,000AUD and hitting over $155,500AUD in areas of NSW. These roles have even higher demand with 5,891 jobs currently live on Seek with a massive 17.7% predicted job growth within the next 5 years.   

Supporting you through your career change 

This could all be a reality if you start your training now, with some qualifications taking as little as 30 hours, you could be well on your way to a new role by, or even before April, your dream job could be just weeks away.   

At Learning People, we offer more than just qualifications, we are dedicated to supporting you until you land that first role. Our expert Career Services team is here to guide you through tailored 1:1 support in your job hunt. Whether you need help writing your resume, or want to practice your interview techniques, our team are on hand to take you through each step.  

Our dedication to our student’s success has helped us create and launch a new and improved version of our Career Services to ensure you the best chance possible when entering the job market.  

You can learn more about the support we offer by clicking the button below.  


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